(From my old website)
“Why Can’t she be happy?” I thought to myself, “How can she say She doesn’t feel like I connect with her, that I don’t care about her, that she can’t tell I love her?”
“Who does She think I do this for?” I thought angrily to myself.
“But Caleb-You’re never around, you’re always out working” she said, loud enough to interrupt my thoughts, “And even when you are home, your never REALLY home, your mind is somewhere else thinking about work–or what you’re going to do later”.
This type of discussion was becoming more and more common with us.
The stories never changed, it always ended the same.
I sincerely just wanted Her to be happy, I felt obligated to her.
Isn’t this what She wants?
“But can’t you see, all I want is to make you happy!” I yelled desperately, “I just want to take care of you–I WANT to work hard for you, you’re my motivation, I thought that’s what you wanted?!”
She softened up at this and in a quieter voice replied, “All I WANT, is YOU”….
——————————
The above story is fictional. But not the situation, in fact it’s quite common in relationships.
Many men lose whatever intimacy they have in their relationships by putting their work FOR their wife over their Relationship WITH their wife.
So what can you learn from this story (besides the fact that I have no future in dramatic story telling)?
Replace HER with JESUS and CALEB with YOU.
Now is it starting to make sense?
What Jesus truly wants is a relationship with you. Not you working for Him. That’s not going to make him happy, no matter how sincere, it can’t replace the intimacy–OR create it.
As in marriage, an amount of work should be done.
BUT it is of utmost importance that the priorities are in order. Our spiritual work should be an overflow of our relationship with our father, not the substitute for it!
So the lesson for today?
Don’t replace your relationship with God with your WORK for God…
Or worse, don’t mistake your servitude for a relationship…
Cause that’s a great way to ruin a relationship.
What do you think? Post your comments below…
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
chuck 09.16.08 at 4:57 pm
dearsteve thank you for being true to our father who is always true to us.ihavemet a lot of people in my life who are not willingto let others know the true that our fatherin heavenwants us to know thank you again. your brother in christ.
calebo 09.17.08 at 5:38 pm
Hi Chuck,
thanks for your comment but I’m definitely NOT Steve McVey
you can find steve by visiting his site at: http://www.gracewalk.org or his blog:
http://gracewalkministries.blogspot.com/
With Love
Caleb